


Angel

by Mega_Erofan



Category: Shin Sangokumusou | Dynasty Warriors
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Music, Songfic, angel - Freeform, meaning behind lyrics, mysterious character - Freeform, slight spiritual and supernatural themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 12:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1094032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mega_Erofan/pseuds/Mega_Erofan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Giving up on love is easier for some than others but sometimes all a soul needs is reassurance that life can never be too bleak with an angel watching over you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Angel

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Forlorn](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1026948) by [Asasin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asasin/pseuds/Asasin). 



> Inspired by: Head Above Water by Theory Of A Deadman and a sort of response/continuation of _Forlorn_ by Asasin.
> 
> This involves a character of mine from an AU I'm still working on but she will be revealed more in another oneshot in the future.
> 
> Song lyrics in the story are _Head Above Water_ by Theory of a Deadman.

 

Zhao Yun slumps against the bare peach tree, gazing up at the full moon above through the branches that attempt to stretch across his view and block out the illuminating orb in the sky. He sadly looks away as he grips at his chest, just above his solemnly beating heart, hoping for something to take the ache away from him. He crumbles to his knees, feeling the tears he had been holding back freely streak down his face, tears no one else had ever seen, at least to his own knowledge. How was one to keep their self together when their dreams seem to slowly fall apart around them? Though he had done it for many years, the spearman was still clueless about how he had managed not to break down in the middle of battle from the sheer heartache caused by his loneliness. He feels the need to crawl into the darkest corner of the gardens and curl up in a ball, waiting for his destined fate by illness or his own hand, but is stopped by something as he attempts to stand: The bold and fluent notes of a string instrument, but not one he had ever heard before. He his raises his head to locate the foreign sound when one of more familiarity reaches his ears-a voice. The voice is feminine and light but flows ever so brilliantly with the strange string notes as her words match the tempo of the music-andante with a tone of warmth behind the notes and the voice.

> Did you ever picture life like this  
>  No shooting star to grant your wish  
>  Are you everything you hoped you'd be  
>  Or caught somewhere in between  
>  You dropped your nickel down a wishing well  
>  And prayed for luck to cast its spell  
>  To bring you closer to your dreams  
>  That always seem just out of reach
> 
> You pray to God the moment when  
>  You feel the current pull you in

Zhao Yun pushes himself to his feet and looks around, curious as to whom the voice, that was unfamiliar to him, belonged to and where the notes it sings along with are coming from. Though his anxiety keeps him alert of any threat, he cannot resist bending his ear to the words as they soothe his aching heart with emotion he never thought was possible through song-a comfort within a voice that was being passed through subtle words that carry a meaning greater to him than any other.

> Try to keep your head above water  
>  Has never been harder  
>  Even when it feels hopeless  
>  You're gonna get through this  
>  Head above water, gotta fight from going under  
>  Even when it feels useless to wish  
>  You're gonna get through this

He shuffles in the direction of what he thought to be where the voice was coming from, memories passing through his mind that cause his heart to begin to ache once again. He tries to wish the images away but cannot find the strength to do so as he stumbles onto the small bridge that stretches over a small creek as it weaves through the gardens, just barely able to catch himself on the railings of either side as he falls to one knee. He closes his eyes, trying to focus on the voice that charmed the pain from his heart so easily, as if a verbal herb.

 

> Have you ever felt like giving in  
>  Tried for hours but just can't win  
>  Tell yourself you're not good enough  
>  The struggle alone is just too much  
>  No one's there to hear you scream  
>  You gasp for air but cannot breathe  
>  Did you ever think you'd see the day  
>  When you'd watch your life get washed away  
>    
>  You pray to God the moment when  
>  You feel the current pull you in

The spearman grits his teeth as he pushes himself back to his feet, leaning on the railings of one side in an effort to regain his ability to stand. He opens his eyes, finding himself looking at his reflection in the rippling water as solemn dark green orbs stare back at him, reflecting the heartache he wants so badly to be rid of. He forces himself to turn, continuing to use the railing for support as he looks up towards the night sky and is surprised by what he spots out of the corner of his eye. To his right, where the moon was beginning to migrate to through the abysmal terrain above, he spots a perching on the top of the wall. Her form, small and lean, stands out from the uniform line of the top of the stone walls as she sat precariously on the inside edge. Her features as blacked out by the light of the moon hitting her above just enough to render her nothing more than a silhouette upon a pitch black horizon. Her instrument, which had a defined shape and shine to it that contrasts her natural shape, is blacked out as well, aside from the sheen of red that the moon is barely able to light up with the female owner shielding the object from the light.

 

> Try to keep your head above water  
>  Has never been harder  
>  Even when it feels hopeless  
>  You're gonna get through this  
>  Head above water, gotta fight from going under  
>  Even when it feels useless to wish  
>  You're gonna get through this

Zhao Yun’s legs gain a mind of their own as he slowly begins shuffling towards the female, though he stands hundreds of feet below her, if only to get closer to the melodic voice that comforts him so. The faceless singer plucks away a solo on her alien instrument, the notes vibrating so boldly that Zhao Yun could feel the walls he had built around his heart begin to crumble away from their volume. Whoever this person was and whatever reason they had to be here, Zhao Yun didn’t care. He only wishes to remain the unseen audience, listening to the sweet melodies of this strange angel of music that so easily reaches his heart from meters away. If only he knew of her name.

 

> Did it ever hurt so bad  
>  That the thought of feeling lost would never end  
>  Well you will think again

The string notes calm to simple chords as the singer casually strums a few, moving her gaze towards the moon, as if singing to it in hopes the lunar giant will reverberate her melody to those that need to hear her words and almost unaware of the young man beneath her who craves for her vocal comfort more than anything.

 

> Try to keep your head above water  
>  Has never been harder  
>  When it feels hopeless  
>  You're gonna get through this

The tune of the strings picks up again as the female now moves her gaze to the castle, investing most of the emotion she seems to gush into her words, with more power than before, as if finally realizing where the one was that needs these words most.

 

> Head above water, gotta fight from going under  
>  Even when it feels useless to wish  
>  You're gonna get through this
> 
> Head above water, never been harder  
>  Tryin' to keep your head above water has never been harder  
>  You're gonna get through this  
>  You're gonna get through this

The angel strikes a final chord, allowing the notes to gently fade out into the night air as silence slowly sets in again, her eyes never moving from the castle. Zhao Yun simply stares at the woman, wondering where a woman as talented as her had come from and why she was here. He slowly begins to move back, hoping to slip to the castle before she could spot him but freezes when the songstress moves her gaze down to him, as if reacting to his sneaky movement. As he looks on in shameful fear, he notices something pop out from the darkness that envelopes the female: A pair of bright blood red eyes. They pierce through the inky blackness of her being, as if looking into his soul through his own eyes, which he couldn’t tear his gaze away from. The red orbs disappear behind shutters of black before the woman stands. She conceals her instrument under the baggy cloak she appears to have been wearing the whole time and carefully paces backwards towards the outer edge of the wall.

Zhao Yun can only watch as the red irises appear once again before her seems to fall off of the wall before Zhao Yun can utter a word. He hurries to the closest stairwell leading to the top of the wall and runs to the place the woman appeared to have fallen from but when he peers over the wall to the barren grounds below, he cannot find any sign of the woman having landed. He turns back to where the songstress had been playing, finding a scroll and small object shimmering in the moonlight. He carefully approaches the items and scoops them up, examining both items in his hands. The scroll seems normal, aside from the silver accents on the edges and the vibrant red ribbon that was tied around the parchment, but the object left with it was a different story.

It was a necklace-a small silver heart pendent on a slender silver chain. The heart looks to be divided similar to the way the Yin Yang symbol is divided, which two stones where the dots would be: One a dark green in color while the other was a lighter green. And alone the back of the heart were Chinese characters that he could just barely make out in the moonlight as they spell out a message:

> Love is eternal  
>  Time is its enemy  
>  Follow your heart  
>  Achieve harmony

The words seem confusing to the spearman at first until he recalls the song he had heard just moments ago, the lyrics just then making sense as he connects them to his current situation. He had dreams that his life would end happily with the one he loved more than anything, only to cast them aside due to their impossible nature, but he had hoped for many months now that the possibility of his dreams would become reality. There were times where he felt like giving up on his entire life but he continued though it nonetheless, for the sake of the one he held so close to his heart. He thought he could never win in this constant struggle of his emotions and his duties, feel lost as to what to do and how to handle everything.

It is then that this coincidental event gains some meaning-the songstress had been sent to comfort him, to relay a message from the fates and point him in the right direction. She had been the angel of his heart, wanting to lead him to his better life, if only with her song and gifts. The message on the back of the heart was meant for him, telling him to abandon his efforts to conceal his affection because time wouldn’t wait for him, and he would not achieve the harmony he wanted until he did so. That only raised one question though-What of the scroll she left behind as well? He carefully examines the scroll, noting the characters etched into the blood red ribbon, spelling out his style name: Zi Long. He carefully unties the ribbon and unravels the scroll, finding a passage addressed to him:

> Zi Long
> 
> For many weeks now I have been watching you, observing your internal struggle from afar with no means to help you myself. I dare not mention my name in hope that perhaps you’ll find comfort in the help of a stranger. Keeping the stirrings of the heart private is never good for one’s health, much less their future. I beg of you to approach the man who makes your heart pick up pace and who’s name ghost your lips every time you think of him. I promise you, no matter what happens, you will find peace after you confront him of this. It is best to settle the what-ifs now, while you can still speak with him than later on when he is gone and you no longer have a choice. Best of luck, and know that your angel will always watch over you, even in your grimmest of days.
> 
> Tianshi

Zhao Yun rolls the scroll up then carefully tucks it under his arm before looking at the heart pendent still in his hand. He softly smiles at the two green gems shimmer in the moonlight as a pleasant sigh passes his lips.

“Thank you…my angel.” He murmurs.

He descends from the wall and returns to the castle, quietly making his way to his quarters, unaware of the ruby eyes that watch from the shadows just feet behind him. The eyes cease following when the spearman enter his room, the figure they belong to emerging from the shadows into the path of a moonlit window. She simply stares at the door until a calm sigh is exhaled from her.

“Rest well, Zi Long.” She quietly wishes as she walks by the door, seeming to disappear into the shadows, though her soft voice remains prominent in the hall. “We both have much to do tomorrow.”


End file.
